US2744542A - Mixing faucet for showers and the like - Google Patents

Description

L. V. FOSTER MIXING FAUCEJT FOR SHOWERS AND THE LIKE Filed March 27, 1952 May 8, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 4W 7 m I May 8, 1956 v. FOSTER 2,744,542

MIXING FAUCET- FOR SHOWERS AND THE LIKE Filed March 27, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

United States Patent FAUCET FOR suownns AND THE LIKE Lawrence V. Foster, East Liverpool, Ohio 7 Applic ion March 21, 1252, Serial No. erases 3 Claims. (Cl. 131-63018 X The. Present. nvention re ates o a mining iau et. for

sho ers a d the l ke audit c nsist in th combina ions const uctions and arrangements of. p rts herein described and claimed. 1 j i I General y ther is provided a mixing device whichis provided. wit a shaf ex e d ng rom each end o the casing enclos ng he same and. the turning of one f which shaft-s acts to adju th vol me oi he w ter ein mixed in he casing hich water is being ed. to the cas n: by a pair o .v P pe on of which conta ns. co d water and he other of wh ch con a n ho wa er- The oth shaft is de igned t manip la certain mechani ms withing he ca ng w ich ntrol the. empera ure of. he ter b in so mix d Th d vice c ntains many novel feat re hich will be br ugh for h i the annexed speci iication, I

It is. a cordingly an object of the in en ion o provide adevlce f the harac r se forth. which s compara i ely simple in construction, relative y nexp nsive to menu iactur and y t effec i e and eflicien in u e.

Another obj ct of. the invention is o prov de a device of: the charac er e tor-tn which is. P o ided wi h me n icr con rolling he lu e of t e wa rilo ng here from a d means for regu ating h emperature, f the waterfiowing the e om. o h means forming parts of the invention.

Another objec the. inven ion s t e p ovisiomin a device of. the hara te et o th, o ,ano el alve operated mechanism form part of the in enti n! O her nd furtherjec of the inven ion will ecome apparent from a reading of the fo o ing p cification taken in conjunc ion with. the dr w ngs, in which:

Figure l is a vertical l ngi udina s ct onal view, partly in elevation. f n mbod ment f the uiv ntiou,

Fig re 2 is a l ngitudin l hori ontal sectional view I theruolf,v

Figure 3 is a se ional vi w ken al ng the line 3+3 of. Figure Figure 4 is a sec ional view taken along li i -4 of. Figure 2..

Refe ing mor part cula ly t t drawings. here. is sho n herei a casing 1 h y g a a ng 2 mo nted in on end thereof and held in p t o y m an of a nut? Thr ugh the ther end of the casing 1 exte ds. a sha t 4, which i he d in plac by m an of a r ta ner 5 which is' hrea ed on to the ca ing 1 and which afigrds space for p ki nd is th ded to re eiv a pac ins-nut 6. Adjacen that nd of th c si g 1. havi g the nut 6 the eon is a hot water inl t Pipe 7 which l ad to aninlct por 8. with a sea do i hin the casing 1- vWithin the other end f. h cas ng 1 her i pr vided a pair of annular s a s 9 nd 0, a rubber washer 42 whiclrforms part of seat 10 and a cold water intak pipe 11. Within the casin 1 there. is provided a pair of l ngitudinally extending ay 12 and 13. I The cast: ing Ais adapted to. fit sea s 9 and 1.0 and h s two pro ieetions. 14 and 1 adapted to p ojec into the ways 12 and 13, respectively. These projections are for the purpose of holding the casting 2 in its correct position with relation to the casing 1. Maintaining this position is desirable because cold water enters through the intake pipe 11 which is in the casing 1 and merges from the pipe 11 between the seats 9 and 10 and then enters an opening 16 in the casting 2 and passes through the casting 2 until it emerges from the cold water port .17 and seat 17a.

A shaft 18 extends through the casting 2 and. is held in place by a retainer 19 which is threaded to the casting 2 and which afiords space for packing and is threaded to receive a packing nut 20.

Within the casing 1 there is provided a screw shaft 21 on which is threaded washer mounts 22 and 23. There is also provided a screw shaft 24 on whi h is threaded an adjusting nut 25.. The s rew shaft 24 is connected to the shaft 21 by means. of a yoke 27 which is held clamped over a flange 26 carried by the shaft 21 by means of screw 28,. .A rubber washer 29. is tached to washer mount. 2.2 by means of a screw 30 while a' 'ubber washer 31 is attache o washer mount 23 by means of a screw 32.

The, adjusting nut 25 has two lugs 33 between which is p itioned one end of a ribb n spring 34. th o her end of such spring being secured to the casing 1- bY means of a screw 35.

The shaft 21 has two sets of threads one of which is left-handed while. the other is right-handed so that the wash r mounts will moved in oppo t directions when the shaft 18 is turned. The. righ -hand threa s are larger than he lef -hand. thread f r a s m l ng nd di assembling purposes.

At one end of he screw sh ft 21 is loca d a quare holed shoulder 36 which slides on a square hank 37 which is on the inner nd of the haft 1. A one end. of the haft 24 is square holed shoulder 38 w ich s slidable. upon a square shank. 39 formed upon the inner end of the shaft. 4.

The entire inside mechani m f he. device ride on the. projections upon the wash r m unt 22 and 2. which ride in the w ys 12. nd 13. The p si ion f he in ide mechani m in. rel tion o int k p ts 8 and 17 i determined by the ribbon spr ng 3 n yn haust Pipe 41 lead to a bathtub faucet t hown) In operation, i wil be pparent ha when the. shaf 4 is turned clockw se t ai he emp rat re whi e o lower the emperatur of th at r pa sing through the device it is neces y to turn h h f 4 in a coun er clockwise direct on.

Upon urni g o the fau et, th shaft 18 urns th q are shank 37 whi h, in tu n, u n h sq are holed shoulder 36. This acti n urns the sc ew sha t 21 her by c us n he washer mounts 22 an 23 o rnove in opposite directions to ard. on anoth r d w y fr m th n a P ts 8 and. 17 thus a l wing o water to f o in hroug sa P r s ft r a d sired volume is att ined, mp ature of he W ter is adj s by turning the shaft 4 clockwise to raise the temperature and counterclockwise to lowerthe same. In tempering the wat r, shaf 4 t rns h quare shan 39 whic aetuates the square. ho d should r 38. u ing the ha t 24 to u nr w sh ft 24 is t readed. hrough jus ing nu 25 hich is held in o p si i n n relation o the mai casing by means of a strong positioning spring 34 at tached to the casing by means of screw 35. The shaft 24 is attached to the screw shaft 21 by means of the yoke 2. r w 28 nd flang 6 th form n a s i el ioin h fore, wh n s r w haf 24 is t rn d, since the nut 25 is held rigidly by sprin 34, it must mov through the nu 25 hus moving the shaft 21 which, in. turn, causes the. wash r mounts .22. and 23 to slide in the ways 12 and 13 toward one intake port and away from the other thereby decreasing the flow of water from one port and increasing the fiow of water from the other port, either raising or lowering the combined temperatures of the water passing through the device. The faucet may then be turned ofi by turning the shaft 18 clockwise until the washer mounts 22 and 23 move washers 29 and 31 against the ports 8 and 17 causing the flow of water to stop. During this operation the tempering shaft 4 is not moved. The faucet may then be turned on again by turning the shaft 18 counterclockwisely until the desired volume is attained and the spring 34 will return the temperature setting to that last used automatically and without touching the shaft 4.

By removing nut 3, casting 2 and screw 35, in that order, the entire inside mechanism may then be pulled out of casing 1 making all parts easily accessible for repairs.

While but one form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that minor modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A hot and cold water mixing device of the character described comprising a casing having in its inner wall two longitudinally extending ways at either end of which is located an intake port connected to hot and cold water lines respectively and an exhaust port, said intake ports having seats, two valve members which ride in said ways engaging and disengaging the seats of said intake ports, a shaft disposed longitudinally of said casing, a stem extending through one end of said casing, means including said stem for rotating said shaft for simultaneously moving said valves in opposite directions away from said intake ports toward one-another for opening or vice versa for closing both of said valves at one time thereby controlling the combined volume of flow from said intake ports, said shaft being provided with two oppositely threaded portions, said valves threaded to said threaded portions, said shaft slip jointly connected to said stem, a second shaft disposed longitudinally of said casing and swivelly connected to said first mentioned shaft, a second stem slip jointly connected to said second mentioned shaft and extending through the other end of said casing, said second mentioned shaft having a threaded portion, a collar threaded to said threaded portion of said second shaft, said collar having a projection extending into one of said ways, said ways co-operating with said valves and said collar preventing said valves and said collar from rotating with their respective actuating shafts, a positioning spring interconnecting said collar and said casing, one end of said positioning spring being rigidly attached to said casing while the other or moveable end is positioned between two lugs projecting from said collar, other means including said second stem for rotating said second shaft for simultaneously moving said valves in a common direction toward one of said intake ports and away from the other of said intake ports hence gradually increasing to full the volume of flow from one of said intake ports while decreasing to the same degree the volume of flow from the other of said intake ports or vice versa without affecting the combined volume of flow from said intake ports, said second mentioned means being operated independently of first mentioned means, when said valves are away from said seats the elastic force of said positioning spring holds said collar motionless causing said second shaft when rotated to move through said collar thereby moving said valves in unison toward one of said intake ports and away from the other of said intake ports or vice versa, when moving both of said valves against their seats by rotation of first mentioned shaft and when one or the other of said valves reaches its seat first the elastic force in said positioning spring yields to the actuating force allowing said collar to move toward the unseated valve permitting said unseated valve to seat also upon further actuation of said first means, when both of said valves are moved away from said seats by rotation of said first shaft or when the device is turned on the stored elastic force in the depressed positioning spring is released thereby automatically repositioning said valves between said intake ports in such a manner that the individual volume of fiow from each individual said intake port is identical to the individual volume of flow being emitted therefrom when the device was last turned off, said automatic readjustment occurring when said valves are moved away from said seats by first mentioned means to a position between said intake ports where the combined volume of flow from said intake ports is equal to the combined volume of flow being emitted therefrom before said valves were last moved into contact with said seats to stop all flow therefrom;

2. In a hot and cold water mixing device of the character described consisting in the combination of, a casing having in its inner wall two longitudinally extending ways at either end of which is located an intake port connected to hot and cold water lines respectively and an exhaust port, a floating mechanism which rides in said ways, said floating mechanism comprised of a shaft disposed longitudinally of said casing onto which is threaded two valve members which engage and disengage said intake ports and yet a second shaft swivelly connected to the first mentioned shaft and a collar threaded to said second shaft, said first shaft having two oppositely threaded portions, said valves threaded to said threaded portions, a stem extending through one end of said casing as means for rotating said first mentioned shaft for simultaneously moving said valves in opposite directions toward the center of said floating mechanism and away from both of said intake ports hence gradually increasing from nothing to full or any portion thereof the combined volume of flow from said intake ports or vice versa for decreasing the combined volume of flow from said intake ports, a second stem extending through the other end of said casing as other means for rotating said second mentioned shaft for moving said floating mechanism in unison with said valves toward one of said intake ports and away from the other of said intake ports thereby increasing the volume of flow from one of said intake ports to full or any portion thereof while decreasing to an equal degree the volume of flow from the other of said intake ports or vice versa without affecting the combined volume of flow passing through the device, said second means operated independently of said first means, said collar having a portion projecting into one of said ways, said ways co-operating with said valves and said collar preventing said valves and said collar from rotating with their respective actuating shafts,

a positioning spring interconnecting said collar and said casing, one end of said positioning spring being rigidly attached to said casing while the other or moveable end is positioned between two lugs projecting from said collar, when said valves are away from said seats the elastic force of said positioning spring holds said collar motionless causing said second shaft when rotated to move through said collar thereby moving said valves in unison toward one of said intake ports and away from the other of said intake ports or vice versa hence decreasing the volume of flow from one of said intake ports while increasing to a like degree the volume of flow from the other said intake ports, when moving both of said valves against their seats by rotation of first mentioned shaft and when one or the other of said valves reaches its seat first the elastic force in said positioning spring yields to the actuating force allowing said collar to move toward the unseated valve permitting said unseated valve to seat also thus turning the device off, when both of said valves are moved away from said seats by rotation of said first shaft or when the device is turned on the stored elastic force in the depressed positioning spring is released thereby automatically repositioning said valves between said intake ports in such a manner that the individual volume of flow from each individual said intake port is identical to the individual volume of flow being emitted therefrom when the device was last turned off, said automatic readjust- I ment occuring when said valves are moved away from said seats by first mentioned means to a position between said intake ports where the combined volume of flow from said intake ports is equal to the combined volume of flow being emitted therefrom before said valves were last moved into contact with said seats to stop all flow therefrom.

3. In a hot and cold water mixing device of the character described consisting in the combination of, a casing having in its inner wall two longitudinally extending ways at either end of which is located an intake port connected to hot and cold water lines respectively and an exhaust port, two valve members which ride in said Ways engaging and disengaging the seats of said intake ports, a shaft disposed longitudinally of said casing, said shaft being provided with two oppositely threaded portions, said valves threaded to said threaded portions, a stem slip jointly connected to the outer end of said shaft and extending through one end of said casing, a second shaft disposed longitudinally of said casing and swivelly connected to and abutting the inner end of said first shaft, a second stem slip jointly connected to the outer end of said second shaft and extending through the other end of said casing, said second shaft being provided with a threaded portion, a collar threaded to said threaded portion of said second shaft, a portion of said collarprojecting into one of said ways, said ways co-operating with said valves and said collar preventing said valves and said collar from rotating with said first and second shafts respectively, a positioning spring interconnecting said collar and said casing, one end of said positioning spring being rigidly attached to said casing while the other or moveable end is positioned between two lugs projecting from said collar, means including said first mentioned stem for rotating said first mentioned shaft thereby moving said valves away from said intake ports and toward one-another simultaneously opening both of said valves to any degree or vice versa for closing said valves thus controlling the combined volume of flow from saidintake ports, other means including said second stem for rotating said second mentioned shaft causing said second shaft to move through said collar which is held motionless by said positioning spring thereby moving said valves in unison away from one of said intake ports and toward the other of said intake ports hence increasing the volume of flow from one of said intake ports to full flow or any portion thereof while decreasing to a like degree the volume of flow from the other of said intake ports or vice versa without affecting the combined volume of flow from said intake ports to the exhaust port, said second means operated independently of said first means, said positioning spring functioning to hold said valves in any position selected by said second means relative to said intake ports, said positioning spring, further functioning when said valves are moved toward said seats by first means and when one or the other of said valves reaches its seat 7 first the elastic force in said positioning spring yields to the actuating force allowing said collar to move toward the unseated valve permitting said unseated valve to reach its seat also hence turning the device off, said positioning spring still further functioning when both of said valves are moved away from their seats by rotation of said first shaft or when the device is turned on the stored elastic force in the depressed positioning spring is released thereby automatically repositioning said valves between said intake ports in such a manner that the individual volume of flow from each individual said intake port is identical to the individual volume of flow being emitted therefrom 1 when the device was last turned ofi, said automatic readjustment occurring when said valves are moved away from/said seats by first mentioned means to a position between said intake ports where the combined volume of flow from both of said intake ports is equal to the combined volume of flow being emitted therefrom before said valves were last moved into contact with said seats to stop all flow therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 517,386 France Dec. 17, 1920

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